Imagine you could be born into any family that ever existed! Would you choose your own family? When I think about that question I imagine being born into royalty, I can visualize the physical perks that come with royalty such as wealth, power, and status, but it is hard to imagine how I would mentally turn out. After snapping back to reality I realize that I would rather keep my own family, and the unique process in which I have learned the norms, values, and skills necessary to survive in society. In my essay I will define socialization and how it is related to our personal identity through the lenses of social classes. I will define and discuss social roles and their place in our lives, as well as their connection to social class “status”. I will analyze how these roles relate to how the society is organized. I will define culture, and analyze the relationship of roles with how culture is socially organized. I will analyze the way culture shapes our lives; ultimately I will connect the relationships between these topics back to social class and how it builds one personal identity. I will show specific examples from the text that support the relationship between these topics and class. I will establish my credibility of knowledge on these topics when I relate them back to my own personal experience of socialization. In modern society socialization, culture, and class shape our personal identity, and force people to survive by conforming with superficial, materialistic, and greedy groups, which expect a money-oriented contribution to the group because of the extreme deviations in the “Economy, technology, and urbanization” over time (Conley: 169). “Socialization refers to these social processes through which an individual becomes integrated into a social group by learning the group’s culture and his or her role in the group” (Kane: 121). These behaviors expected by certain groups are acquired through learning the norms, values, and culture of that group. Human nature drives an individual to feel significant or be a part of something larger than them, the basic steps of socialization is to adapt to a certain group and keep those expectations held by the group. Sometimes there is a very strong pressure to stay in the group, or else ones reputation or “social status” might be damaged. An example of this is evident in gangs, people join gangs because they want to feel as if they are a part of something larger than themselves, but once one joins the gang, it is nearly impossible to leave. This prolonged process contemporarily satisfies the natural human need of conformity, until one realizes the group he/she joined does not accurately reflect his/her true character. Alternatively, he/she may realize the incompetence of being in the group, and still remain in the group in order to achieve a certain status. Some people would rather attain a certain “social status,” than accomplishing complex tasks for one’s personal records. In today’s society people are influenced by the media from an early age to “survive” by achieving success through wealth and materialistic possessions. Hence, most parents prep their kids for college at a young age, and the children are pressured to perfect their grades, balance out extracurricular activities, AP classes, homework, and a life. Some of the students go through all these hardships just to achieve a certain social status in the future of success by wealth. One does not realize that money can only satisfy one for so long. Money cannot buy happiness or love. There is so much stress forced upon students that sometimes it can mentally and physically damage them. Recently, my friend’s brother, a junior in high school, committed suicide because he believed his grades were not good enough to get accepted into college he desired. This is very depressing to me and I am sure there are other students that have committed similar acts...

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In Reading, Pennsylvania, 41.3% of the 88,000 population lives below the poverty line (Fessler). Such poverty may seem to be unalterable, but in every situation, there is hope. Generational poverty is a cycle of poverty that may seem never ending, but with the right help and effort, it can be broken. Some people are born into poverty, lose a job and fall into it, or have poverty thrust upon them because of an injury, mental disorder, or abuse. While every story is different,risingabove poverty is possible with the help of private organizations, government aid or training programs, or through the power of high quality education options for children. The cycle of generational poverty can be broken.
Generational poverty is unfortunately prevalent in today’s society. According to the National Poverty Center, 22% of the 46.2 million Americans living in poverty today are children. A key factor to generational poverty is hopelessness (Understanding Generational Poverty). When you grow up poor and do not see your parents break the cycle of poverty, it is less likely for children to take up the challenge and break the cycle. William Galston’s research concluded that there are three primary behaviors which help you to avoid being poor: graduate from high school, wait until marriage to have kids, and be at least 20 before having kids (Poverty and Culture). 79% of people who are poor have not accomplished these three things (Poverty and Culture)....

...﻿ Before taking this Sociology class, I did not realize how much my life experiences and life chances are greatly influenced by many complex sociological factors. I realize now that using my sociological imagination allows me to connect my personal experiences, behaviors, and attitudes to the larger social structure. Some of the sociological themes that manifest in my life are how gender role socialization, resocialization, and social inequalities have played a role in contributing to my sociological autobiography.
According to Ferris & Stein (2014), gender role socialization is the process in which a person becomes masculine or feminine. Branching from the constructionist views on gender, what is considered feminine or masculine are socially constructed labels linked to behaviors based on the social context in which a person lives encompassing their society, its culture, and time period. By possessing a sociological imagination, an individual can understand that gender differences are not solely defined by inherent feminine or masculine behaviors or traits. My primary agent of socialization is my family that played a major part in my gender role socialization. Chris Cooley's looking-glass self theory suggests that self concept develops from "how we imagine others perceive us and the feelings of ourselves based on the perceived judgments of others" (Ferris & Stein, 2014.) Parents can act as a...

...Faculty of Health, Arts & Design
Unit Outline
SOC10004
Sociological Foundations
Study Period 1 2015
Please read this Unit Outline carefully. It includes:
PART A
Unit summary
PART B
Your Unit in more detail
PART C
Further information
PART A:
Unit Summary
Unit Code(s)
SOC10004
Unit Title
Sociological Foundations
Duration
13 weeks
Total Contact Hours
You should expect to spend c. 12 hours a week
(including formal contact) in a 12.5 credit point unit
Requisites:
Pre-requisites
Nil
Co-requisites
Nil
Concurrent pre-requisites
Nil
Anti-requisites
Nil
Assumed knowledge
Nil
Credit Points
12.5
Campus/Location
OUA/Hawthorn
Mode of Delivery
On-line
Essay 1 – Academic Writing Exercise (25%)
Assessment Summary
Essay 2 - Major Essay (45%)
Essay 3 - Reflective Essay (30%)
Aims
This unit aims to provide students with an introduction to the foundations of the discipline of
sociology. Successful completion of this unit will prepare students to undertake study in the
discipline at more advanced levels.
Unit Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this Unit should be able to:
Students who successfully complete this Unit should be able to:
1. Apply a sociological perspective to the social world around them
2. Identify and differentiate between the major theoretical perspectives and research
techniques employed by sociologists
3. Define and use a range of key sociological concepts to...

...﻿Maya Angelou: RisingAbove Social Struggles
Author of an autobiographical series, countless essays and stirring poems, a civil rights activist, dedicated actor and producer, skillful dancer and singer, and great cook, Maya Angelou is an inspiration to every person, regardless of his age, gender, race, or status in life. Maya Angelou, an African-American, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but was sent to Stamps, Arkansas, with her brother Bailey, to live with their grandmother (King 5). During her childhood, Stamps, where she was raised, was completely segregated both socially and economically. This meant that Maya and her people would never be able to make their ends meet just as the White people did. Moreover, Maya was with her parents, who once abandoned her, when she experienced sexual assault and perpetual neglect. At the peak of her careers, and even before it, she underwent more difficulties: still from prejudice set upon by appearance to adversities caused by her practices of activism. Although it is undeniable that her road to success was abounding in social struggles: racial discrimination, economic segregation and sexual abuse, Maya still rose and became one of America’s most inspirational women.
In Maya Angelou’s autobiographical writings, she shares her stumbles, falls, and victories (Gillespie et al. 183). I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings presents Maya with low self-worth because of her black skin which she eventually overcame as...

...﻿Truc Nguyen
English 60
Professor Silva
December 12, 2013
Abundant love and responsibility: The key to raise successful child
Mothers have to experience the difficult time to give births; however, raising their children is much more difficultly than anything because they are holding their children’s future, destiny, and lives. Like the sculptor gives all their passion to create his statutes, they must spend all their responsibility to guide their children to succeed but with their partners—the husbands. The most important job is to love and be truly interested in the children. This not only gives them a sense of security, belonging, and support, but also soothes the difficulties of childhood. The love of a mother or father should be special in two ways: First, love should be constant and unconditional—love must always be there, even when the child is behaving terribly. Second, the parents should express and show their love openly so that the children never doubt its presence. This means that parents should hug and praise their children at every possible opportunity. Nevertheless, love has to be shown in the right place, right time, and right way when the child is in infant to adolescence. In addition, every parent has different ways to raise their children, but not all of them are successful because they do not find the correct method to treat their children in each stage during development of children. There are five stages that they have to through: Infancy,...

...Sociological Aspects of Education
SOC 101
April 24, 2010
Sociological Aspects in Education
The growing diversity in our society has helped to broaden the scope of what and how we educate our children. The scientific study of social behavior and human groups, also known as sociology, has benefitted society with its impacts from different theories (Schaefer, 2009). Education is the foundation of any society and establishes the social and economic wealth for their future. We will explore education from the three major sociological viewpoints.
Functionalist approach “emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability” (Schaefer, 2007, p.14). The functionalism theory was influenced by French sociologist Émile Durkheim, who stated that “education perpetuates and reinforces this homogeneity by inculcating in the child’s mind the fundamental relationships required by life in the community” (Hoenisch, 1996). A simplified characteristic of functionalism is to draw analogies between the biological organism and the social system, to view the societies as made up of component parts whose interrelation contributes to the maintenance of the whole, and to focus on the problem of order specifying forces that bring cohesion, integration and equilibrium to society. It leads to the belief that students should be taught so that they can work together, become interdependent on each other...

...Old Dominion University
The Sociological Narrative
Ariel Henderson
Soc-201 MWF 2-3
Holly Wiseman
March 8, 2013
On May 15, 1989, I was born in Norfolk, Virginia to two middle-class working Americans with two obvious identifications, African American and female. Being born into a conservative society I would’ve said the odds were highly not in my favor, but growing up and working in a conservative society I can say the odds are even higher with fewer opportunities to change these odds. In this paper I will explain and share the sociologist C. Wright Mills ideology of the sociological imagination of historical and biographical changes that have impacted my life, values, and beliefs that lead me to believe that the society we live in has come a long way and has chosen the latter on the ways it wants to be perceived.[1]
20th Century philosopher Karl Marx first introduced the idea class conflict [2]. Class conflict dissociates society into two groups by power, wealth, and status. The first is the bourgeois (rich) group and the second is the proletariat (poor) group. However, in the 21st century we dissociated those two groups into three classes: Upper (capitalist) class, Middle (working) class, and Lower (welfare) class. I was born into proletariat group, but classified as middle class. Growing up in the middle class has imposed certain expectations and roles that society expects me to perform or become. The societal expectation for...

...What is the Sociological Imagination? The sociological imagination is defined as “the ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual’s life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces.” (Conley, 5) So to begin I, had to ask myself what parts of my life can be examined by the social imagination. The first thing I had to do was look at what sociological institutions and forces have made me who I am today. The process of narrowing down the most influential forces really took some time. The first one I thought of was one that a person cannot choose, that being my family and how this has given me some of my most important characteristics, such as my work ethic and views of the society which we live in. The next institution I thought of was religion and how it influenced my views of the world, my morals, and how the establishment of my religion has given me a greater sense of belonging. And finally I looked at how the media has shaped the way that I make my political decisions as well as allowing me to become more tolerant of others.
The fist, and potentially the most important, social institution in my life would have been my family. Over my years as an adolescence, being raised in my parent’s home, I was socialized in what was to be expected for things such as my politics, ethics, work ethic, religious/spiritual views and my views of the family unit, as well as how I should view and interact. Today I...